It has to do with whether the pronunciation of the next word is a consonant or vowel. If it is a consonant, you use "a", if it's a vowel, you use "an". The spelling is irrelevant -- since "one" is pronounced with a w-consonant sound, it gets "a". (There are some English dialects where speakers use "a" even before vowel sounds, at least in certain cases.)

Words starting with "h" can vary some, especially between British and American English. However, "an hero" is wrong in my variety of American English. If somebody is trying to say that *only* "an hero" is correct, that is patently absurd.

Although it would probably never be considered proper English, I can surely imagine some BE dialects where 'an hero' would be used, and this would surely go under the vowel pronunciation heading.Imagine:'ee's an ero, int ee?'

But, yeah, it entirely depends on how you'd pronounce it. Even words like FAQ are an FAQ even though they don't start with a vowel at all, purely because the F is like an 'eff' sound - a vowel sound. I think there's a word for these kinds of sounds, I think it's mute. At least in French when they talk about the 'h' sounds that are used with l' (e.g. l'hôpital) they call the h the 'h muet'.

mute adj (muter, mutest) ... 4 said of a letter in a word: not sounded, like the final e in many English words, eg bite, mute. ...noun ... 4 an unsounded letter in a word.

But the generally accepted writing of 'an hero/heroine' these days is 'a hero/heroine'. In fact...

guitarplayer7694 wrote:Grammar wise any one know why it is "a one" and not "an one", also on another forum I go to they had a big discussion about how "an hero" is correct.

Traditionally "an hero" is correct. gramatically "an hero" is correct. However, due to vocabulary evolution you don't hear it very often. If you are pronouncing the "h" you will commonly hear "a." A hero, A hungry monkey etc. But if you don't pronounce the "h" you will commonly hear "an." An honor, An homage, etc. Sometimes it's tough to keep up with the changes. I know that my children are being taught different grammar and other principles at school, than I was taught. In fact, while helping my daughter with an assignment, the paper came back with all sorts of what I considered incorrect grammar etc. I came to find out that indeed those grammar principles were what was being taught. It was rather disheartening to say the least.

It's the nature of language. Although I'm a bit surprised; I would have expected school instruction to change rather little in comparison to the change in the actual language (in particular, ~20 years seems rather small for major changes). Language change (at least within one or two lifetimes) is pretty much universally condemned by usage writers and style guides.

guitarplayer7694 wrote:... on another forum I go to they had a big discussion about how "an hero" is correct.

I would have thought that in American English "an hero" would be correct just as "an herb" is correct

In America, we say hero and erb.. the "h" is silent in herb. or at least that's the way I pronounce it. saying the "h" for herb seems to be more of a british pronounciation.

Oh yes, I'm southern English (think stereotypical British accent) and we say herb. As do the folks up north. On the subject of British accents, at least we southerners don't have silly words like 'owt' or pronounce the as t'. "I dint do owt t'other deeh" springs to mind.

Tony, your quote-fu has failed you. while you have quoted both kayuu and myself, it seems that I have been given credit for kayuu's quote and quite frankly, I really don't deserve the credit for that baloney.. lol

two_heads_talking wrote:at least we southerners don't have silly words like 'owt' or pronounce the as t'. "I dint do owt t'other deeh" springs to mind.

I beg your pardon -- if you're intimating the word "aught" -- yes, we DO have it, and use it. Some people just, apparently, didn't learn it.

Tony

No need to get defensive, the both of you. I'm talking about British Northerners not American Northerners. British northerners have the actual word 'owt' (pronounced 'out'), and it means 'anything', I just think it sounds as silly as the American herb, we don't use it at all in the south.